Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger helped lead his team to an 8-0 start with Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, the best start in franchise history, but it didn’t come without it’s hurdles as the veteran signal caller suffered a knee injury during the first half.
However, it did not deter Roethlisberger, who led the Steelers to the comeback victory.
“Someone hit me right on the side of the knee,” Roethlisberger said, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Felt like it kind of bent my knee a little bit. Part of the game of football. Guys get hit all the time. Have some discomfort, and so we thought, end of the half, we’ll head in and get it looked at. Doc just wanted me to keep him updated the second half, so I was just keeping it loose and keeping it warm.”
“I’m really proud of our football team, 8-0 for the first time in franchise history,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “We’re humbled and honored to be that group. It’s not without its trials today, obviously. Some of it was created by us. … We’ve got a group that sticks together and a group that’s mentally tough and is able to persevere. I’m thankful for that.
“But obviously we can’t keep having these conversations every week, because one of these weeks, we’re going to be doing it with an L if we’re not careful. But we’re thankful to win today.”
Roethlisberger fueled the comeback by playing through the injury.
“I didn’t want to let my guys down,” Roethlisberger said. “I think so many times the line and guys are looking at me on the sideline, they’re like, ‘All right, Ben, we believe in you.’ I just don’t want to let them down. I want to give everything I have and fight. I wish that we didn’t have those fourth-quarter comebacks. I wish that I played better early in the games and that we were up and we didn’t have to do it. But that’s the way it is. If we have to have a situation like this where we have to score late or win in the fourth quarter, as long as we win, I’ll take it.”
